6.5 creedmore

[NHSHOOTER]

OK, just how accurate and flat shooting is this caliber? I have seen many posts about how well it does. Also, is it a long or short casing and what case is it made from, are they readily available for reloading? Right now my goto deer rifle is a 7-08 or a 243. Does the creedmore excel over those 2? I dont shoot usually have to shoot at a deer over 200 yds and I know the 08 will do the job and not that I need a excuse to buy a new rifle looking for a slight advantage would be nice.

[emcon5]

I don't think the 6.5 CM is any more flat shooting that either of your existing rifles (but run the numbers yourself and confirm). The advantage of the 6.5 CM is that the .264 bore it kind of a sweet spot for long range bullets. There are a lot of excellent high BC bullets available, and the case length allows the longer/heavier bullets to be used in a standard short action.

For LR target shooting, "Flat Shooting" just doesn't matter.

For a hunting rifle, I can't see it offering any advantage over what you already have.

[Stugotz]

6.5 Creedmoor is a short action round based off of the .30 TC. I wouldn't rush out and buy it to replace either of those calibers just for deer hunting, certainly not at the ranges you are talking about...

[Jimro]

There is no practical difference between the 7mm-08 and the 6.5 CM at 200 yards and less.

Jimro

[603Country]

I have a 260 Remington, which is the twin to the 6.5 Creedmore. I like the cartridge and regard it as sort of a "270 Lite". You'll get a 120 gr bullet at about 2900 fps, which is very similar to a 25-06 or a 257 Roberts Ackley Improved. I think that it's probably a better hunting round than a 243, but probably no better, or even not quite as good as a 7-08.

What I do like is that I get near 270 performance with considerably less recoil. That won't matter for hunting purposes, but is easier on my shoulder for target practice. If you have a 7-08, you don't need a 6.5 Creedmore unless you just want a new rifle.

[oldscot3]

If you need an excuse to buy a new rifle, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a good one. There is a lot of "potential" accuracy there, but of course to realize it you've got some variables to deal with. All the usual factors apply such as rifle/barrel quality, ammo/bullet quality, optics and mounts, etc. etc. There's no magic in the name, just a good basic design and an abundance of good bullet choices in that caliber.

BTW, in the friendliest way possible, I disagree that the 6.5 CM is the "twin" to the 260. They both use .264" bullets and both go in short actions, but after that are very different in the details since they each come from separate parent cases.

[SJCbklyn]

Inside 200 yds stick with what you have. I would even say inside 400 yds for the 7mm-08.

[603Country]

Oldscot, when I say twin, I mean that they are Ballistic twins, though the cases are not the same. If a fellow isn't a long range shooter, where the Creedmore has the edge due to case design, it's hard to find a reason to pick one over the other.

[NHSHOOTER]

I want to thank you all for the insight, I think if and when I want a new gun I will get one chambered for a round I already reload for.

[jmr40]

You'd be splitting some mighty fine hairs to find a use for a 6.5 to fit in between a 6mm and 7mm. Really, .5mm isn't a huge deal. It would make a good choice for someone wanting to fill a gap between 223 and 308.

I think it is a good round, but too close to what you have.

[doofus47]

I have a 260 Remington which is very similar to the 6.5 Creedmore. If I already owned a 7-08, I wouldn't need a 260 Rem for hunting (and shooting at hunting ranges). If you are just dying to have something in 6.5, then go for it, but you're duplicating capabilities, not replacing anything--unless you plan on shooting long distances.

[alex0535]

I have a feeling that as long as you do your part, the deer isn't going to know the difference, and inside 200 yards you will barely know either. All are very capable at 200 yards, its going to be basically in the middle of the .243 and the 7mm-08.

Main nice thing is the creedmoor is fairly cheap and accurate to shoot with factory rounds.

[Kachok]

The only real advantages that a 6.5CM has over the 7mm-08 are in total effective range and long range ballistics. Being a fan of both the 7mm-08 and the 6.5x55 (ballistic twin to the 6.5CM) I usually use the 7mm-08 when I expect shots inside 200 yards due to the larger bullet frontal area, but beyond that the 6.5mm owns it. Both the 7mm-08 and 6.5 CM walk all over the 243 for hunting, the 243 does not have nearly as high BC as the 6.5mm bullets nor does it have the energy, mass and bullet frontal area of a 7mm-08, the 243 fills exactly two niches in the market, #1 being an ultra low recoil deer rifle for young kids. #2 being a decent combination varmint/deer rifle. It fills those two roles reasonably well IMHO.

[kraigwy]

I've got a couple of 6.5s, Wife's RPR and a light weight Ruger American Predator. Been playing with them this last year and yes they are every bit as good as people say.

Having said that, I have to be honest. You mentioned the 7-08 and 243. Both are accurate rounds, both would be excellent deer cart. The 7-08 might be a bit heavy for my taste.

You're 243 is just as good and everything else being equal, just as accurate as the 6.5 CM.

The 243 is actually flatter shooting. My wife's 243, using 100 gr. Horn. BTSPs drop 70 inches at 600 yards. My 143 Gr. Horn. drops 79 inches at 600 yards. The heavier 143 CM drifts 20 inches in a full value 10 MPH wind, the 243, 27 inches.

Those drop and drift numbers don't mean much at the 200 yards you mentions.

The real advantage of the 6.5 over the 243 is when you move to elk size animals, but then, you 7-08 which would cover that.

Don't let anyone tell you the 243 is not heavy enough for deer at ranges.

Day before yesterday, wife got this little guy at 565 yards with the 243 load listed above.



Any excuse to buy another rifle is a good excuse.

But do you NEED another rifle? Slaves get what they NEED, freemen get what the WANT.

[HiBC]

Nice buck! Looks like that bullet was placed right where it goes! Nice shooting.

[stagpanther]

Of all the 6.5 cartridges--Creedmoor has to be at the top of the list as the best "shoots great but you really should get something else" chamberings.

[Iwanttoshootbettter]

I shot one through a Ruger American 2 days ago at the range a guy next to me asked if I wanted to shot it it was very accurate and fun to shoot but no chiwawa at horse for me viva la 30-06.I think it will fizzle out like first girlfriend.

[fourbore]

I shot one through a Ruger American 2 days ago at the range a guy next to me asked if I wanted to shot it it was very accurate and fun to shoot but no chiwawa at horse for me viva la 30-06.I think it will fizzle out like first girlfriend.

I would not bet on that. It sure is not up to us. I was shooting at the club this afternoon. I was sharing the range with 4 guys and one woman. They were friends and all shooting BLACK gun. Black pistols and black rifles. Nothing I could even identify from a distance. I fired a grand total of 26 shots, 30-06 at 200 yards. That was 5 targets which I carefully measured and took home for my records. They shot at big torso targets at 50 yards and left a pile of 223 and 9mm casing on the ground. God bless them. Enthusiastic, new generation shooters keeping the hobby alive. But different from us old timers. Now, if their generation, some who shoot longer ranges, take a liking to the 6.5creed - its in. If all it is just used for is killing deer, it is a non starter. I would be more worried about the 260 fizzle. It is a great round, but not for the BLACK gun shooters.

[emcon5]

but no chiwawa at horse for me viva la 30-06.

[Kachok]

Let's look at the actual math and put the Creedmoor into context.
On paper with it's 123gr bullets it matches the performance both in trajectory and drift of the 190gr BTHP 300 Win Mag in a much lighter recoiling less expensive to shoot package.
On game the 6.5CM with 120-123gr bullets split the difference between a 115gr 25-06 and a 130gr 270 Win with the 6.5 maxing out just under 3,100fps with these projectiles. Of course all of the above are highly effective on deer class game especially with fast expanding bullets. Compared to the 25-06 and 270 the 6.5 CM in considerably more efficient burning about 8-12gr less powder in a short action which IMHO is a better for today's standard 22" rifle barrels.
Counter argument: both the 25-06 and 270 fans will claim that they can handload their long actions to 50-100 fps higher speeds then the Creedmoor and that is certainly true but the higher BC of the 6.5mm bullets makes up that 50-100fps pretty quick.
On paper with it's 140-142gr bullets the 6.5CM is a rare bird with modest 308 level speeds but with bullet aerodynamics that rival the 300gr BTHP 338 Lapua, hence their popularity among benchrest shooters. In fact using match bullets of similar BC the 338 Lapua only has about a 100-150fps advantage over the little 6.5mm
On game those long 140gr bullets tend to behave much like a 150gr 270 Win, not as dramatic as their lighter offerings but reliable deep penetration, in all these years I have never recovered one from a game animal using my 6.5x55, they have always exited.

Conclusion: As expected for match shooting the 6.5 CM is a real standout, it was in fact engineered for that purpose. 300 Win Mag external performance with considerably less recoil then a 308.
For hunting the Creedmoor is about the ideal level of power for deer class game and compares favorably to other cartridges in that class (7mm-08, 25-06, 270 Win) though if you were wanting a one gun solution for all deer/elk/moose hunting the 6.5mm is on the small end of the spectrum and you might want to consider a .30 or .33 caliber.
Philosophy of use for 6.5 Creedmoor
If you love long effective range and hate recoil and muzzle blast the 6.5 CM is as good as it gets weather you are hunting deer or ringing steel, this should appeal to a wide range of people from youths to new hunters to people building ultralight mountain rifles.
Negatives: For those of us who do not have any issues with recoil, don't need lightweight short actions, and don't shoot 500+yards the 6.5 CM won't do anything that our 30-06 and 270s won't already do and we can get ammo for them just about anywhere.

[fourbore]

I like the last post. I will add one more tid bit. The 6.5cm and 6.5x55 both are generally fast twist guns and better suited to longer and higher BC bullets. The 6.5 sweed comes factory with 160 grain loads. That is another story. Fast twist / hvy bullets can translate to either larger game or longer distance.

I guess Kachok cover that very well. The guns matter as much as the ammo and the 6.5 guns are different. Except the 260, which is old school USA mentality medium twist.

[emcon5]

The 6.5 sweed comes factory with 160 grain loads. That is another story. Fast twist / hvy bullets can translate to either larger game or longer distance.

Yeah, but keep in mind the important word there is "either". The 160gr bullets are all round nose and while good for larger game because of the higher SD, are pretty crappy from a ballistic standpoint, with BCs in the .2s Hornady 160 RN is .28, most of the ~140 grain hunting bullets are closer to .5, with match bullets over .6.

The ~140 gr Hunting bullets are still pretty good on game, and decent in the wind.

If someone is wanting a single rifle to do damn near everything, the 6.5 CM is a pretty good choice. If you already own a .243 and a 7mm-08, it won't really do anything what you have will not do from a "hunting rifle" standpoint, but will do a better job as a LR target rifle. That is changing though, to some extent, as more good 7mm match bullets are now available.

[Kachok]

Emcon the issue with the ultra low drag bullets in the 7mm-08 is that you simply run out of case before you get them to acceptable speeds. Trust me I tried, I know what the reloading manuals say but I was struggling to get 2,500fps with 160s even with compressed loads. Went to 140gr and hit 2,900+ no problem. While I honestly believe that the 7mm-08 is a better compromise for normal hunting ranges at longer ranges the 6.5mm can make significantly better use of a a 40-50gr case capacity. Just my experience with my rifles, someone else may have a different take on it.

[hooligan1]

I have bought into the Creedmoor craze with a Turk Mauser action, a Douglas barrel and a sweet Mark X trigger.
It currently awaits a Manners T3 stock, and will be my deer/coyote rifle.
I have plenty of different weight .264 cal bullets at the ready, but one that really interest me is the 100 grain Partition, seems like a lazer beam load can and will be developed for my rifle.
Also I have a new, unopened box of 143 ELDX bullets from Hornady that I will pair with IMR 4451, (swiftly becoming my favorite powder) for larger critters.

[stagpanther]

I have bought into the Creedmoor craze with a Turk Mauser action, a Douglas barrel and a sweet Mark X trigger.
It currently awaits a Manners T3 stock, and will be my deer/coyote rifle.
I have plenty of different weight .264 cal bullets at the ready, but one that really interest me is the 100 grain Partition, seems like a lazer beam load can and will be developed for my rifle.
Also I have a new, unopened box of 143 ELDX bullets from Hornady that I will pair with IMR 4451, (swiftly becoming my favorite powder) for larger critters.
__________________
Thanks for coming!

You won't be disappointed.
I've found in my rifle with 20" barrel the over-all sweet-spot to be 130 gr bullets--with berger VLDs and swift siroccos providing great consistent accuracy. I don't know about your action--but I use a wilson case gauge and keep an eye on the shoulder--more often than not I need to knock it back a bit after each firing through an AR10 type action.

I also have a box of unused 140 ELD match with the star trek tips, haven't tried them yet